Amy Nichole, Stage I

Hi, I’m Amy Nichole a portrait photographer, storyteller behind Adventure Our Life + content creator, and skin cancer + EDS advocate.

Before I ever understood the word melanoma, I understood sunburn.

When I was eight years old, I had a severe sunburn across my chest the kind that blisters, peels, and leaves a mark. I didn’t know then that blistering sunburns in childhood significantly increase melanoma risk later in life. I didn’t know that damage can live quietly beneath the surface for years.
But it can.

In 2016, I noticed a small, changing spot on my upper chest. It didn’t look dramatic. It wasn’t large. It wasn’t painful. But it was different.

I trusted my instincts and had it checked.
Stage 1B melanoma at 28 years old.

That moment shifted my life from patient to advocate.
Later that year, I was diagnosed with Dysplastic Nevus Syndrome, a genetic condition that increases my likelihood of developing melanoma. It meant my risk wasn’t random it was lifelong. It meant regular dermatology visits, full-body skin exams, biopsies, scar after scar.

It meant paying attention.

In 2019, two more melanomas were found on my right arm only months apart. Stage 1B and Stage 1A. Both caught early because I was being monitored closely.

In May 2023, my fourth melanoma appeared on my right upper back.

This time it was Stage 0 caught at the earliest possible moment.

Early detection saved me. Again. And again. And again.
Melanoma does not always look obvious. It does not always follow the textbook.

It can appear in young adults. It can appear in healthy, active people. It can appear years after the damage was done.

And it can be deadly if ignored.
Skin checks are not vanity.
Sunscreen is not optional.
Monitoring your skin is not overreacting.
It is prevention. It is protection. It is power.

Because I paid attention to my body, because I advocated for myself, because I kept my dermatology appointments I am here. I am hiking. I am creating. I am living.

My scars tell a story, but they also carry a message:
Know your skin.
Document your moles.
See a dermatologist annually more often if you’re high risk.
Never ignore a change.
One appointment can change your life.
It saved mine four times.

If sharing my story encourages even one person to book a skin check, wear sunscreen daily, or trust their instincts about a changing spot then every scar has a deeper purpose. My scars are not something I hide. They are reminders that I listened to my body and took action.

“Scars are proof that something tried to break you and like a butterfly, you transformed anyway.”

Amy Nichole, Stage I Melanoma Survivor
Date of Diagnosis: 06/07/2016
Nashville, Tennessee